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William Gerard Hamilton
William Gerard Hamilton (28 January 1729 - 16 July 1796) was an English poet and a politician who served as Member of Parliament in both England and Ireland, popularly known as "Single Speech Hamilton." Life Hamilton was born in London, the son of Helen (Hay) and William Hamilton, a Scottish bencher of Lincoln's Inn. He was educated at Winchester and at Oriel College, Oxford. Inheriting his father's fortune he entered political life and became Member of Parliament for Petersfield in Hampshire. His maiden speech, delivered on 13 November 1755, during the debate on the address, which excited Walpole's admiration, is generally supposed to have been his only effort in the British House of Commons. But the nickname "Single Speech" is undoubtedly misleading, and Hamilton is known to have spoken with success on other occasions, both in the House of Commons and in the Irish parliament. In 1756 he was appointed one of the commissioners for trade and plantations, and in 1761 he became chief secretary to Lord Halifax, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as well as MP of the Irish House of Commons for Killybegs (until 1768) and English MP for Pontefract. He was Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1763, and subsequently filled various other administrative offices. Edmund Burke at one time served as his secretary.William Gerard Hamilton(1729-1796), English Poetry, 1579-1830, Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Web, July 5, 2016. Hamilton was thought very highly of by Samuel Johnson, and it is certain that he was strongly opposed to the British taxation of America. He died in London, and was buried in the chancel vault of St Martins-in-the-Fields. Publications Poetry *''Four Odes''. London: R. Manby & H.S. Cox, 1750. **also published in Parliamentary Logick, 1808. *''A Slight View of the Village and School of R—: In imitation of Gray's 'Eaton College'. London: E. Dilly, 1780. *''The Death of the Thrush: A tale. London: T. Longman, 1780. Collected editions *''Parliamentary Logick; to which are subjoined two speeches, delivered in the House of Commons of Ireland, and other pieces'' (edited by Edmund Malone). London: C. & R. Baldwin for Thomas Payne, 1808. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:William Gerard Hamilton, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, July 5, 2016. See also *List of British poets References * * Notes External links ;Poems *"Ode on Beauty: To *****" *"Ode to Sleep" *"Ode to Taste" *"Ode to the Right Honourable the Lady **** on the Death of her Son" ;About *Hamilton, William Gerard in the Dictionary of National Biography *Hamilton, William Gerard (1729-1796) at History of Parliament Online * Original article is at Hamilton, William Gerrard Category:1729 births Category:1796 deaths Category:Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Category:British MPs 1754–61 Category:British MPs 1761–68 Category:British MPs 1768–74 Category:British MPs 1774–80 Category:British MPs 1780–84 Category:British MPs 1784–90 Category:British MPs 1790–96 Category:Irish MPs 1761–68 Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Category:Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) Category:Chancellors of the Exchequer of Ireland Category:People educated at Westminster School, London Category:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Category:Chief Secretaries for Ireland Category:18th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:English poets Category:Poets